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Love & Death in Texas; Woman Uses Cattle Prod on Son
Aired March 31, 2007 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several shots were fired by the suspect into Mr. Lasalle's truck.
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RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: A twisted tale of Texas love and death. A man catches his wife in the act and shoots her lover. Guess who's being charged? It's not him.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It used to be used on him. Screw.
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SANCHEZ: She uses a cattle prod on her son. She doesn't care what you or anybody else thinks about it. We'll explain.
The president joins Tony Blair in going after Iran. We'll tell you what he's saying.
And sweet Jesus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's more filth that comes out of your mouth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You (INAUDIBLE). You know, you put your middle finger at the Catholic church and we just broke (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you're wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's a meltdown over a chocolate savior and this one gets ugly. We're bringing it from the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hello, again, everybody. We're going to start tonight right here in B control. And we know how many of you have been in malls tonight. So we want to start with this story. I think we've got some live pictures coming in. Roger's multitasking for us here. It's right there. See that monitor right next to me, pointing at it? There it is. That's a mall in Atlanta, in suburban Atlanta with there's been a shooting. Three people, we understand, have been shot.
Police are saying right now that at least one gunman is on the loose. We're going to have a reporter that we're going to go to in just a moment. He's at the scene and he'll be bringing us up to date on what's going on there.
But let's begin with a story we told you about in Texas, where there's plenty of fallout over a deadly love triangle. Now this has a lot of people asking questions tonight. And here's how it starts.
A man named Darrell Wolverson, see him right there, comes home from a card game. He happens to be carrying a gun on him as a lot of people in Texas do. He finds his wife inside the pickup truck. She's with another man.
The wife sees her husband and she screams "rape". Wolverson shoots and kills the supposed assailant. Only here's the deal. Police say the dead man was the woman's lover, not a rapist. And they've got evidence on that. And tonight, she is facing manslaughter charges for Devon Lasalle's death, not the husband, even though he was originally charged. Police say he was not the one who really fired in their eyes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several shots were fired by the suspect into Mr.Lasalle's truck. One of the rounds did strike Mr.Lasalle in the head.
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SANCHEZ: Let's bring you up to date now by talking to somebody who really gets the law this case. And that's defense attorney and former prosecutor B.J. Bernstein, who talks about this case to us.
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B.J. BERNSTEIN, ATTORNEY: You can be exonerated if you are defending someone else, if you're protecting someone else from physical bodily injury. And so when the wife calls out "rape," of course that's the most -- one of the most heinous crimes to be committed on a woman.
SANCHEZ: And let's not forget...
BERNSTEIN: And his reaction could be reasonable.
SANCHEZ: Well, reaction is the key there, right. You're an attorney. I'm sure you've seen cases like this. There would be a difference if he had to walk a mile to get a gun or even go in his house, pull out a drawer, take out a gun or weapon of some sort. But he happened to have the weapon on him. So couldn't you say that his reaction was what you often call a crime of passion, where it was instantaneous reaction? BERNSTEIN: Exactly. And it sounds like that's what Texas -- and not to load up on Texas' reputation -- but we do have a man here apparently just already toting a gun, ready to go and react. And that grand jury, it sounds like, took that Texas-style notion of justice and said, let's not go after the man. But unusually went after the wife.
SANCHEZ: You know, you just mentioned Texas-style justice. Interestingly enough, we looked up on this and we did a little homework. Here's what we found. Roger, put this up, if you can.
This is the assistant district attorney. His name is Sean Colston. And what he's saying, look, in Texas, somebody can shoot someone if - and here we go -- he has a quote, "reasonable belief that his actions are necessary even though what they believe at the time turns out to be not true."
In other words, if he perceived at the time, right, that what he was doing was to save his wife to really get a bad guy out of the way, then that's what matters, not reality, but perception.
BERNSTEIN: Exactly. But you've got to remember, it's not just fantasy reality. I mean, she was apparently in a sex act and screams "rape." I mean, that's a pretty dramatic thing. And it's a stranger to him. So his reaction, you know, could be what, you know, any ordinary man possibly could do when they find that their wife was being raped.
SANCHEZ: Do you think he should be charged with anything, by the way? Because there is an argument that he didn't do it right away. It took him a while to get the gun out. The guy was starting to drive away in the pick-up truck. There was some that time elapsed. Is that a big deal? Does that matter?
BERNSTEIN: The time elapsed concerns me. Having been a prosecutor, that's where you say well, time could intervene. And you can't just get vengeance on someone for going after someone. You're supposed to protect them or try to stabilize the situation.
But once a grand jury says, no, you know, we're not going to indict you, that's going to be it for him. She's the one now in big trouble.
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SANCHEZ: Bernstein, obviously she's an attorney, but we also want to know what you think. Who should be charged here? Should it be him? Should it be her? Or should it be both? Give us a call, 1- 800-807-2620.
Well, tonight, a man who spent half his life in prison is about to be set free. Why? Because he's innocent. He was falsely accused. How do you get that time lost back? You don't, right? You can't right this wrong. All you can do is say, thank goodness for DNA.
CNN's Jim Acosta is in Buffalo for this one. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're free. They -- they realized that you didn't do any of those things, aunt. You're free.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They made a mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They made a mistake.
ANTHONY CAPOZZI: It sounds good to me.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Capozzi family has been waiting 22 years to say those words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to have you home pretty soon.
CAPOZZI: Where in Buffalo?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know it.
ACOSTA: In prison since 1985, Anthony Capozzi was convicted of raping two women in the suburbs of Buffalo, a verdict that was based mostly on the testimony of rape victims, who thought they identified the right man in a police lineup.
FRANK CLARK, BUFFALO, NY DISTRICT ATTY.: The victims certainly believed wholeheartedly that they were identifying the right person.
ACOSTA: It was a stunning discovery of DNA evidence that will set Capozzi free, a long lost genetic sample investigators say that points to a different man. The evidence had been tucked away for years and was only recently discovered among hundreds of pathology slides at the Erie County Medical Center. As it turns out, those slides contained DNA linked to Altemi Sanchez, who was arrested and charged in January with being Buffalo's alleged bike path rapist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am sorry. I'm sure not nearly as sorry as the Capozzi family, that the existence of these slides wasn't found earlier.
ACOSTA: Capozzi, who's diagnosed with schizophrenia, has always maintained his innocence, standing by his story during a total of five parole hearings, even when an admission of guilt could have set him free years ago.
THOMAS D'AGOSTINO, CAPOZZI'S ATTORNEY: He's known what it meant to say I didn't do it. He could have said, I did it, just to get out, but he never did.
SHARYN MILLER, ANTHONY CAPOZZI's SISTER: He just kept to his story and always said, I don't know why I'm here. I didn't do anything to hurt anybody. I would never hurt anybody. I have sisters of my own and I love them.
ACOSTA: While overjoyed with the recent news about his son, Capozzi's father says the system's mistake was devastating for his family.
ALBERT CAPOZZI, ANTHONY CAPOZZI'S FATHER: What's happened to my son, the shame that we went through, the degradation of all of that is something that you live with every day.
ACOSTA: The attorney for the now 50-year-old Capozzi is making formal arrangements to have his client officially released from prison within the next two weeks, making this family whole again.
MARY CAPOZZI, ANTHONY CAPOZZI'S MOTHER: We're a family now. We waited so long for this, but I knew someday, it would come.
ACOSTA: After spending nearly half of his life behind bars for a crime he never committed, Anthony Capozzi is almost home.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
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SANCHEZ: Wow, what a story. This one, too. We know that hundreds of thousands of you have been in shopping malls today. After all, it is Saturday. So we want to make you aware of this story because in suburban Atlanta, three people have been shot at a mall. This is a developing story. We learned of it just before we want on the air tonight.
We've been following the pictures. In fact, we're hoping to hook up with a television reporter, who is going to bring us up to date on this story in a bit. Hopefully the next couple of minutes, in fact. We'll have that for you.
Also this, felonies, misdemeanors aren't just for adults. Find out why a little girl in kindergarten got put in handcuffs. We're going to bring it to you.
And then, speaking out after being asked to remain quiet, President Bush on Iran. He did this just several hours ago. And we're going to bring you that sound. We'll turn it around for you.
Then, dyed chicks. Easter is right around the corner and, well, so are the police. There they are. We knew they'd be coming. Look at that picture. As colorful as you think. Also, did I tell you, illegal? We'll be back to explain.
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SANCHEZ: You see those screens there filled with video? We follow all the different video sources that are coming in from all over the world and all over the country. That's what we do for you here.
Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Got some pictures of what we've been following throughout the course of the evening. This is from an area just northwest of Los Angeles, where they have another one of those wildfires that they have been battling. By the way, let's switch now if we can to a picture from yesterday, another wildfire they had in the area. This one was threatening that famous Hollywood sign there. It's just behind it. Police are telling us that they've arrested two young men who were visiting the area. And they're the ones they say started the fire.
Now let's take you to Orlando, Florida. This is a really scary story if you're a parent because you see this building this man is going into? That's a daycare center. And he's armed. Now he's going to close this door. And we're going to continue with the picture because police are telling us that they've now picked him up. His name is Delray Campbell.
All right, there he is with a gun. He's actually shooting at the door. Here's the good news. That door is made of a material that is bullet-proof like a plexiglass, so the bullet wasn't able to go through. We're imagining the door was locked and the time as well, but boy, what a story. What a fright for his girlfriend who police say he was trying to shoot. He's been charged with attempted murder.
And let's bring you over here now for a story that a lot of people are talking about in the northeast. This is in Rhode Island. Have you ever seen anything like this? Look at the colors of these chicks. Somebody brightened them up somehow, dyed them, don't know if it as in the egg or outside the egg. We've been having arguments about that, but the point of fact is it's against the law to do that in Rhode Island. So it's a story that they're developing from a criminal standpoint as well.
And then there's this story that we've been following for you throughout the evening. And this has to do with the way autism is treated in this country. And one particular case where a cattle prod was used on a child. We'll have that for you. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out, get out. Someone's been shot.
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SANCHEZ: That's somebody describing a situation at a shopping mall tonight that we've been following for you. It's the story we told you about at the very beginning of the newscast. A jewelry store's where it happened. It was in suburban Atlanta. Now a crime scene after shots were fired there.
Here's what we know. Police say that it happened during an attempted robbery about five hours ago. One person critically wounded. Three suspects, we understand, are on the loose.
Manuel Bojorquez from CNN affiliate WSB in Atlanta is following the story for us and bringing us up to date now on exactly what's going on. Let me start with a couple of questions for you. The people who were shot, were they assailants or were they just people who happened to be shopping at the mall tonight?
MANUEL BOJORQUEZ, WSB CORRESPONDENT: Well, police haven't been too specific on that at this point. We understand one of them is a security guard. The other two may be shoppers. They're telling us they were not employees. They were not store owners. So right now, the investigation obviously in its initial stages trying to figure out what happened when shots were fired inside the mall.
SANCHEZ: So Manuel, you're telling us that two people who just happened to be out on a Saturday night shopping may have been shot by these guys?
BOJORQUEZ: That's what it appears to be at this point.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
BOJORQUEZ: Again, police saying that it's too initial in their investigation right now to tell us exactly who those people are. They're not releasing names at this point. But two people who were not employees or store owners and at least one security guard is what they're telling us at this point.
SANCHEZ: Do we know whether they were targeted by anyone? Or was it -- was ate shootout? In other words, was a security guard firing at them and they at the security guard?
BOJORQUEZ: What police are telling us at this point and updating us, telling us four to five men actually went inside to that jewelry store and started what was an attempted robbery. They're not telling us too much about what happened leading up to the shots being fired.
All they know is shots were fired. People were sent running from the mall for their lives. And right now, they are looking again for four to five men not having a very good description at this point of who those men are. But saying they're working on surveillance tape from inside the mall to get a better idea of who they are.
SANCHEZ: I understand that you were able to do an interview with some of the folks out there a while ago. Roger, have you got that? Go ahead and roll that.
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ABENA ABDULLAH, WITNESS: ...scared. I mean, we all started running, as soon as we heard it. And then, we saw the guard leaving. And I don't know I just hope the police find these degenerates and I hope they get them because it doesn't make no sense that these idiots can take somebody's life over some jewelry!
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SANCHEZ: Wow, that's the situation. Manuel, thanks so much for bringing us up to date on this. Listen, if you get anything else out there, give us a ring. We'll get you on the air right away to try and follow this story. But as far as we know right now, these guys are still on the loose, right? BOJORQUEZ: They are still on the loose. The manhunt just beginning right now.
SANCHEZ: Good job, Manuel. Thanks for bringing us up to date.
Tonight, a lot of buzz about something Newt Gingrich has said about the Spanish language. The former House Speaker and possible presidential hopeful supports making English the nation's official language, but then he went on to equate Spanish with a ghetto.
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NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country, and so they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.
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SANCHEZ: Gingrich was speaking to the National Federation of Republican women in Washington, who applauded the comment. A spokesperson for the Hispanic Education Coalition calls comments very hateful and point out that, "not everyone who speaks Spanish lives in a ghetto."
Coming up, a religion icon and a sweet treat. One artist who's combined the two. Take a look. A statue of Jesus. It's made of chocolate. Is it free speech or does this, certainly in the minds of a whole lot of people, go way, way too far?
First though, parents using a cattle prod on their autistic son. They say it's for his own good. The details are coming up in the NEWSROOM.
And then, remember the Texas triangle, woman cheating on husband, husband kills other man but now wife is facing the charges because she said he was raping her, though he wasn't. Call us now. Who should be charged, the wife, the husband, or both? 1-800-807-2620. We'll be back.
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SANCHEZ: Let's bring you some of these pictures once again of this developing story that we've been following for you tonight, as well. This is in California, where firefighters really have their hands full. We've been monitoring these as they've been coming in throughout the course of the evening.
We've been watching the wildfire as it burns. There was a few of them this week. This is the one that's east of Los Angeles. Flames have already charred about 200 acres of brush.
Fortunately, the fire is far from any populated areas. So it's not threatening any homes as one was yesterday that was right next to Hollywood there, the Hollywood sign. That is Jacqui Jeras. She's been monitoring the situation with the fires, as well as the rest of the weather that's affecting us. And we're going to join her in just a little bit.
But in the meantime, let's try and catch you up to this. If I tell you in this next story about parents using a cattle prod on a disabled child, you'd probably expect to see and hear things that would raise your blood pressure, right? Certainly make you mad. Well, this case that we're about to show you is not that simple. Here is CNN's Randi Kaye.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bradley Bernstein is 48-years old, but his parents still call them their baby.
FRAN BERNSTEIN, BRADLEY'S MOTHER: We wanted him so badly. It was the best thing that ever happened us. We feel that we were chosen it have Bradley and to give him what he need in his life.
KAYE: Does what he needed include electric shock? Because for nearly 40 years, the Bernstein's have been using a cattle prod to shock their son.
A lot of people that are watching this story might wonder how, as a mother, you could shock your own son. What would you say to them?
F. BERNSTEIN: If this stops my son from having black eyes and bleeding in his mouth and having his face all swollen up, believe me, it's worth it.
KAYE: You see, Bradley is severely autistic and mentally retarded, diagnosed at age 3. He lives in a group home, only speaks a few words and spends much of his day rocking in a chair with the lights out.
Can I get a high five? Nice to meet you. His parents tried psychotropic drugs, restraints. Then someone suggested the cattle prod. They insist the only thing that stops Bradley from beating himself bloody like many with autism do is a sudden zap. It makes him forget he was hurting himself.
Can you show me what it feels like? Do it again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not something that is going to kill anybody.
KAYE: This portable prod shoots 4500 volts of electricity into Bradley, as often as several times a week. But now the state of Illinois says, no more. It passed a law last year making electric shock illegal in community facilities. So Trinity Services, which operates Bradley's group home has stopped using it.
ART DYKSTRA, TRINITY'S SERVICES EXEC. DIR: Our mission is to help people live full and abundant lives. I don't think you do that with cattle prods. KAYE: Yet decades ago, Trinity's Art Dyksra, and another experts agreed a jolt of electricity was the only answer for Bradley. Dykstra wasn't aware the treatment continued this long until just a few years ago, when Trinity took over the home where Bradley lives.
DYKSTRA: It was supposed to be temporary. My goodness, it wasn't meant to be carried on for 30 years.
KAYE (on camera): Since Trinity and this group home stopped using electric shock last September, Dykstra says Bradley has tried to strike himself seven to ten times. While that may be double the number of incidents that were occurring when the cattle prod was in use, Dykstra believes Bradley is happier and communicating better, but the Bernsteins don't buy it. They sued Trinity. The case was dismissed since shock treatment is outlawed.
F. BERNSTEIN: The law should say, yes, Bradley can use the shocker. It needs to be used on him. Screw the law.
KAYE: Fran and Bob Bernstein argue their son can still be shocked based on this agreement from 1987 with the Illinois Department of Mental Health. The department won't comment, but the agreement allows Bradley to be treated with electric shock.
The executive director of ARC, the largest advocacy group for people with mental retardation calls this shock treatment torture.
BOB BERNSTEIN, BRADLEY'S FATHER: In most cases, it probably is. But in our son -- there are some cases where it isn't. It's the only thing available.
KAYE: The Bernsteins still use the prod when Bradley is visiting them at home. The new law doesn't prevent that. Bob says he shocked his son just two weeks ago.
But at his group home, attendants now restrain Bradley or give him a drug to calm him. Fran still calls the cattle prod the most humane treatment and convinced me to try it. I'll try it just for a second. Oh, oh, that's not horrible. It's not pleasant.
F. BERNSTEIN: No, but is it horrible?
KAYE: No.
If Bradley could speak, what would he say, barbaric or beneficial?
F. BERNSTEIN: He's a sick boy, a sick man. And we need to be there for him. And someday, we won't be around. So I have to make sure, while we're here, that he gets taken care of.
KAYE: Taken care of the way they see fit. Randi Kaye, CNN, Desplaines, Illinois.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Still to come, kids being kids or kids being outrageous.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have Desiree in jail. And I was shocked.
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SANCHEZ: Is it a temper tantrum or criminal act? Find out what this kindergartener did to get hauled off by police.
Also, President Bush sends a warning to Iran, release the British troops now. We're going to have the latest. Plus a debate about what Iran is doing and why they're doing it.
And then take a look. Jon Stewart poking fun, at who? At me? Where are we airing this? All right. Fine. We'll take a look at it. We'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: Hey, we welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez. President Bush standing by his long-time ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as Blair faces growing tensions with Iran.
Now Iran says it's detaining 15 British marines and sailors because they illegally entered Iranian waters. You've heard the trespassing accusations, an accusation, by the way, that Blair is denying. They've been in Iranian custody now since last Friday.
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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I support the prime minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos. The Iranians must give back the hostages. They're innocent. They were doing nothing wrong. And they were summarily plucked out of water. And it is, as I say, it's inexcusable behavior.
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SANCHEZ: There was also a reaction today from Ahmadinejad. He said, for his part, that the Brits are arrogant for not apologizing for what they did. His words.
Now, what is this conflict really about? And how did it happen and why? The question a lot of us have been asking ourselves as we've been watching this thing develop. Let's look now into this potentially explosive situation with CNN's Candy Crowley.
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CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iran and a hard place, a week of diplomacy, escalating tension, and videotapes. Monday and Tuesday, Iran promises to interrogate the 15 British service members in its custody. Iraq back's up British claims that when seized, the group was in Iraqi, not Iranian waters. The British threaten a step beyond diplomacy.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I hope we manage to get them to realize they have to release them. If not, then this will move into a different phase.
CROWLEY: Wednesday, a face to the crisis, the Iranians air footage of the prisoners. The lone female is featured.
FAYE TURNEY, U.K. SAILOR HELD BY IRAN: Obviously, we trespassed into their waters. They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people.
CROWLEY: A letter she supposedly wrote calls for the British to pull out of Iraq. In Tehran Thursday, protestors called for death to the British. In New York, the U.N. Security Council approves a statement announcing its grave concern, far softer than Britain wanted. By week's end, the European Union voices solidarity with Britain and there are more letters, more videotape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to apologize for entering your waters without any permission.
CROWLEY: The Brits fire back rhetorically.
BLAIR: I mean, all it does is it harms people sense of disgust, captured personnel being paraded and manipulated in this way, it doesn't fool anyone.
CROWLEY: Throughout the week, the U.S. takes a low profile, reportedly at the request of the British.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: So Candy Crowley kind of sets the scene for us. Let's do this now. Let's bring in two individuals who certainly know a lot about this. First of all, Kaveh Afrasiabi. He's a former advisor to Iran's nuclear negotiating team. And then Patrick Clawson of the Washington Institute on Near East Policy. Thank you both, gentlemen, for being with us.
Dr. A, let's start with you. How far is Iran willing to take this, do you think?
KAVEH AFRASIABI, AUTHOR, "IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM": Well, it remains to be seen because my understanding is that the Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has responded somewhat positively to the letter written by Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, laying out the reasons for Iran's apprehension or detention of those sailors and asking a written guarantee from the British government that this will not happen, just as it did in 2004, when some eight British soldiers were released after three days when they...
SANCHEZ: Yes, we get that. We remember that. But let's -- so what you're saying is that you think this thing is going to be negotiated? And it sounds like you're getting information that it's moving that direction.
Dr. Clawson, let me bring you in. Do you believe that's also the case? And let me also ask you this question, why do you think the Iranians did this?
PATRICK CLAWSON, WASH. INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: The long- established practice in the Middle East, which the Iranians have often engaged in, is to take detainees to use as bargaining chips, especially to secure the release of other detainees. And the Iranians are concerned about a revolutionary guard general, who disappeared in December, as well as some people that the United States detained inside Iraq.
SANCHEZ: So who are they getting back at by doing this, the United States, or the Brits, or both?
CLAWSON: Well, that's one of the odd aspects about this episode is that the Iranians, having seized these Brits, now seem to be trying to negotiate not only with Britain but also with the United States, which is a peculiar way of doing it.
SANCHEZ: Interesting. Dr. Afrasiabi, let's take that back to you, as well. Why do you think the Iranians did it? And do you agree with Dr. Clawson that they're doing it basically to negotiate, as a bargaining chip?
AFRASIABI: Not at all. And we don't see any evidence that Iran wants a quid pro quo or a prisoner exchange. On the contrary, all the evidence that the British government has offered on the table are contested, including by the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who has shown that whereas there is no boundary between Iran and Iraq in the Persian Gulf waters which is, by the way, admitted by the U.S. government itself on its own website.
SANCHEZ: So you're saying what Ahmadinejad has been saying that look, this is not Iraqi waters that they were in?
AFRASIABI: Right. And what the British government has done by shooting itself in the leg is that it has published the map that has come as a total shock to the Iraqi government. And this is disputed water that has to be negotiated in the future. And the British government that claims to be extricating itself from Iraq is now reinserting itself in a longstanding maritime dispute between Iraq and Iran.
SANCHEZ: Hey, do you think that -- do you think that the Iranians are willing to go the long haul on this thing, even if it means either the Brits or United States using force or using some kind of military program perhaps to get these guys out?
AFRASIABI: Well, listen, this is a crisis that should be resolved through prudent diplomacy, not by issuing war. And it's not by media hysterics or not by mob frenzy. And it requires cool-headed diplomacy by both sides. We had a precedent when the British sailors were freed after the British government admitted that it was wrong and that trespassing... SANCHEZ: Certainly, no, listen in a perfect world, people will sit down and reasonably negotiate and you'll come up with some kind of truce, but people's patience also runs out after a while. And there have already been some leaders in the United States and in Great Britain saying that maybe we need to use some kind of commando unit to go in there and get them out. Doctor Clawson, how would you react to that?
CLAWSON: Very unlikely. After all, the current episode is a wonderful way to remind Iraqis that Iran is claiming territory that Iraqis regard as their own, and reminding Iraqis that Iran is their historic enemy. That works to the advantage of the United States and Britain.
Furthermore, the Iranians are reminding the Europeans about how obnoxious the Iranians can be and unbending. For after all, if the Iranians are completely right that these Brits were intruding on Iranian waters, then there's an established international procedure for what to do, and that is to escort the Brits out. Not...
SANCHEZ: And so, in essence, by prolonging this, they're the ones who don't look good. They're the ones who look like the aggressors in this situation.
CLAWSON: And...
SANCHEZ: So from a negotiating standpoint, it doesn't help, I imagine. Guys, we have run out of time, I'm sorry to say. Dr. Afrasiabi and Dr. Clawson, you're both very kind to join us tonight and share your insight on this situation.
AFRASIABI: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Hope to have you back.
Still ahead, chocolate and Jesus, an artist mixes the two. And that's leaving a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. In fact, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You put your middle finger at the Catholic church and we just broke it, didn't we pal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Yes, these guys go at it, I mean go at it. And it's all about art, or religion, or both.
But first, the pet food recall just keeps growing. Some people are starting to get real worried out there. Stay with us. We'll break this down for you, too. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. Here's what you've been checking out on cnn.com. And boy, a lot of people going to cnn.com. A list of potentially toxic pet food is growing tonight. It now includes dry food for the first time as well. Two more companies are recalling their products. You can find the complete list on our website if you want to go to it.
Google is under fire tonight for how it's portraying New Orleans. It's map portal shows satellite images of the city before Hurricane Katrina's destruction. And that's what it looks like. See, the houses are still there. Congressional panel says that's a great injustice to storm victims. It's asking Google management to explain the outdated images. No comment from Google tonight. Obviously, it does not look like that.
And then there's this. A growing controversy tonight over this guy. Many say that Sanjaya Malakar is one of the worst singers on "American Idol" ever. Certainly this season, yet he keeps surviving your elimination. It has fans and judges wondering how he's managed to go so far.
There are some details in this and it has to do possibly with a guy named Howard Stern. No, not the one with Anna Nicole, the other one. That's right. More on these stories on cnn.com, the NEWSROOM. We return in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Now let's check some of the big stories across America. Mary Burn Smith is missing tonight. She's a teacher and a wife of a Baptist preacher near Mobile, Alabama. She was last seen just one week ago. Investigators are stumped. No activity on her credit card or her cell phone. Looks like she simply just vanished.
Officials in the community are rallying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY WILHITE, BALDWIN CO., ALA. BOARD OF ED.: We're a family. And when something happens to one of our employees, it concerns us all. So we're very hopeful and our thoughts go out to the family. And very hopeful that she will return one day to the classroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Let me give you some information just in case you can help find Mary Burns Smith. She's 30-years old. She's a mother of two. She was last seen Saturday at a religious conference in Louisiana. If you have any information, please call authorities.
Now a story of crime amid amazing survival. A Nebraska woman says that she was assaulted and locked in a trunk of her own car, where she stayed for four days. Incredibly, some men heard her screams and then set her free. She's in the hospital. Police are on the hunt for her attackers. Take a look at this little girl. Do you see the face of a felon or a criminal? Well, apparently she does now have an arrest record. Police in central Florida hauled this six-year old off to jail in handcuffs last week. The charge? Acting up in school and then apparently hitting a school employee. Her mother is upset, to put it very mildly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LATESHIA WILSON, ARRESTED GIRL'S MOTHER: I was upset because the simple fact they handcuffed and took her to jail, but I just want to find out what really went on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Well, both the school and the police say that they followed all the rules. The girl's parents are considering a legal action.
Ugly scene on the interstate near Montgomery, Alabama. A car crashes head on with a Greyhound bus. The car's driver was killed. Look at these pictures. Just a horrible scene that people have to drive through as well. Plenty of the buses passengers, there were 49 on board, by the way, also ended up hurt as a result of this massive collision. Police say it was the car that hit the bus was going in the wrong direction.
You may have heard this week about a game that teenagers and college kids are playing that could kill them. It's called the choking game or pass out. Experts tell us that they believe at least 250 kids died from this game last year. Think about that number. 250.
There are dozens of online videos, like this one, that kids are posting. And you can see the kid tries choking his friend, as you look at that video right there. Now we can't show you the second part, but his friend faints and then eventually wakes up. There it is again.
Now sometimes teens use their hands. Sometimes they use a rope. Parents and police say it's a type of high that kids get and often they say can become addictive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OFC. SCOTT METHENY, UPPER MORELAND, PENN. POLICE: Kids are told not to drink alcohol, don't do drugs. But no adults are telling them not to play the choking game. And the rush that they're getting from it is a euphoric high, because what happens when the brain is deprived of oxygen, brain cells start dying. And as the brain cells die, they give off a chemical release. And that chemical, which the body's not used to getting, gives them a very strange feeling, a feeling that I've labeled with the kids "rollercoaster rush." Same thing they get at that amusement park on their favorite ride. And they don't realize that getting that rush is actually from them killing off brain cells in massive numbers. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Wow. We heard about this story. So we're decided we're going to check it out. Watch our report. We're going to travel out there, do an investigation, and come back with it. It's called the choking game. And we're going to catch up with at least one 16- year old in San Antonio, Texas, who was in a coma for three days because of this game. He's now lecturing to his peers across the country about the game's dangers as well. So once again, we're going to be looking into that one ourselves.
Now what was their recognition for your hard work in gathering material for CNN? It's the i-reporters who send us some of the breaking news photos and some of the videos.
You want to see what we think is the best i-report submission for the month of March? This is it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am Ryan Finnigan. I was the driver of the completely totaled Saturn over there. We got hit by two mac trucks. And none of us are even hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We chose that because it was a real report. When he filed it, is that they were a correspondent and actually interviewed people out at that horrible scene in the middle of the snow with all the 18 wheelers all over the place hitting cars.
Now if you want to say i-report for CNN, send us your pictures or your video of breaking news or just cool stories that you see. Go to cnn.com and click on i-report to become part of the most trusted name in news.
We are also going to be bringing you Jacqui Jeras, who is standing by right now. And she's handled a couple of those i-reports.
Remember that one, when that guy sent us that one in the middle of that thing?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I remember it well.
SANCHEZ: Good.
JERAS: And you know, Rick, more than half of the i-reports that come in are weather related. And we've got a huge system here that people can send us i-reports from this one, but we do want you to stay safe when you do take those pictures.
And what a system this is. This thing is huge. Check it out. All the way up from the U.S.-Canadian border, down here to the Gulf coast, is a large system. It's a slow moving system. And boy, it has been packing a punch across the Midwest tonight. We've had a number of funnel cloud reports and some brief tornado touchdowns in southwestern Wisconsin. No damage reports here, but that line of severe weather continues to march eastward. And we still have tornado watches in effect for south central parts of Wisconsin, across much of Illinois. This includes you in the Chicagoland area. Some of the worst of the weather has been to the east to the Madison area. And here, you can see in Chicago, you're getting some wet weather, and also some severe storms.
All those orange boxes you see there, those are severe thunderstorm warnings. Penny size hail has been common with these storms. And you'll likely also see some very strong, gusty winds.
Here's downtown Chicago. You're under the severe thunderstorm warning, but it's still maybe 15 to 30 minutes away for you.
Garden variety showers and thundershowers in between the Midwest and the Gulf coast. But you head farther south, and that's where we've been seeing some very heavy rains. A nice, slow coming in from the Gulf of Mexico means some stronger storms possible into the Florida panhandle and southern parts of Alabama and into Georgia. This system will continue to progress eastward tomorrow. Rick, and actually bringing a lot of relief to some people in the southeast, who haven't seen rain in weeks, and also are suffering from allergies. Wow, it's been awful. Back to you.
SANCHEZ: OK. Hey, Jacqui. Do you watch "The Daily Show?"
JERAS: On occasion, yes.
SANCHEZ: Yes, it's pretty good.
JERAS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Makes fun of people, you know.
JERAS: Yes, including you, I believe.
SANCHEZ: Wow, see? I knew you were going to go there. Have we got - do we have little clip of this? All right. Go ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Don't you do it, Sanchez!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Who is this guy? And who is this - well, yes, you know. You may have seen it. If you haven't, it's funny. It's funny. Jon Stewart talking about moi.
And then, yes, this is exactly what you think it is. A full size replica of Jesus made of chocolate. Who could possibly be upset about that? We're going to show you. A nasty fight about it happened here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: It's appropriate to bring you that promo you just saw for "Anderson Cooper 360" about what is a Christian as we get into this story. Six feet tall and made entirely of chocolate. Sound sinful?
A Roman Catholic organization in New York certainly thinks so. See what you think. This is a - it's a life-size nude chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ. It was supposed to be on display this week in midtown Manhattan, but the gallery cancelled the show and all -- because of all the fallout that was going on as a result.
Well, first, the Catholic League called the sculpture one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever. And that was nice compared to what happened when the artist and the League president squared off on "AC 360" last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM DONOHUE, PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC LEAGUE: But you know what bothers me? It's not even the artist. I mean, we have a lot of these loser artists down in SoHo and around the country. What bothers me is that this guy Knowles, who's an artist in residence, the owner, the president and CEO of an establishmentarian site, the Roger Smith Hotel, 47th and Lexington, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, that is what bothers me, because now we have the establishment kicking in.
And you know, to put this out during Holy Week, on street level, when kids can walk in off the street, these people are morally bankrupt. And my goal is to make them financially bankrupt.
COSIMO CAVALLARO, ARTIST: You just heard the gentleman calling artists losers, or me a loser. I think what he's -- his assault is on the public at large, artists, and freedom of speech, and every Catholic. I'm a Catholic, and I'm a Christian.
And I think this gentleman doesn't even represent the people that are in his faith.
DONOHUE: ... guys like you wouldn't do this against Mohammed during Ramadan.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVALLARO: No, because I'm a Christian. And I'm not trying to...
DONOHUE: Oh, you're a Christian. Please. Don't lie about it, all right? Don't lie about it.
CAVALLARO: I'm not lying. No, I'm not lying about it.
DONOHUE: Yes, you are.
CAVALLARO: Where -- no, excuse me.
Where do you suggest that an artist should exhibit his work that you don't infringe on? DONOHUE: Well, you know, go to some dump down in SoHo, where...
CAVALLARO: A dump?
DONOHUE: ... nobody will pay attention.
CAVALLARO: Is there a church in SoHo that's a dump, too, because...
DONOHUE: Oh, you would like to...
(CROSSTALK)
CAVALLARO: No, let me tell you something.
DONOHUE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
CAVALLARO: There's two priests that have wanted to exhibit this in their church.
DONOHUE: Is that right?
CAVALLARO: Yes, absolutely.
DONOHUE: Give me their names.
CAVALLARO: I will not, because you're a bully.
(LAUGHTER)
CAVALLARO: And you know what? I believe that there's people in your organization that would like you to resign.
DONOHUE: Is that right?
CAVALLARO: Absolutely. And you're...
DONOHUE: Well, how come -- I haven't heard from them.
CAVALLARO: I got to tell you something, there's more filth that comes out of your mouth...
DONOHUE: Is that right?
CAVALLARO: Yes -- than I have seen...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: That's artist Cosimo Cavallaro and Bill Donohue of the Catholic League talking.
Speaking of talking, my son comes home from school this week and says, dad, everybody in school today was talking about you because you were on the "The Daily Show" again. Jon Stewart is, according to my son, certainly much cooler than I am. He's a teenager. So you know he's always right, right? Well, here it is for your viewing pleasure in case you didn't see it. Did I mention at my expense? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Each generation has its hero, a bold, brave man, willing to step up and - oh (bleep). I'm talking about Rick Sanchez on CNN. The self-appointed news guinea pig, who has police-chased, tazered and submerged himself in a car and, of course into our hearts.
I wonder what his next challenge could possibly be?
SOLEDAN O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well there were lots of questions this morning, but two people who fell off of Princess Cruiseliner are alive.
STEWART: No! He wouldn't -- no!
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: People are falling off cruise ships all the time these days.
STEWART: Don't you do it, Sanchez! Don't...
SANCHEZ: So, I wanted to find out what would happen if something like that happened to you.
We experienced it first hand by going out about a mile offshore and jumping overboard.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: I don't want to take anything away from your demonstration there, Mr. Sanchez, but I don't believe that was a cruise ship.
(LAUGHTER)
Perhaps it was the SS Vern Schreuer (ph). All right, you're in the water. Coast Guard to the rescue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a visual starboard bow. Going down. Coming right, coming to starboard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got him on the radar. Got him on the radar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up.
STEWART: Coming up, coming up? What's that? Oh, never mind, it's Sanchez. Turn around and let's go home.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's funny, right? Do you guys think it's funny? Mark, did you think it was funny? Everybody's a critic. Well, that's what Stewart thinks, by the way. Here's what you think about our last call question regarding the Texas love triangle shooting. Good night, everybody.
CALLER: I think the wife should be charged. I don't think that the man did anything wrong. He was just protecting his family, his wife. The guy did the right thing.
CALLER: I believe the husband should be charged, because it's morally wrong to have an affair, but it's not legally wrong. So the wife should not be charged at all. She was trying to protect herself. So the husband committed the crime and he should be charged.
CALLER: I believe they both should be charged for that. You know, it takes two to tango.
CALLER: This was more like a setup. I think the guy probably knew about the lover. This way, he could get rid of both of them. He killed the lover and she goes to jail.
CALLER: I believe the grand jury came back with the right indictment. It should be against the wife, because she knew that she was basically committing adultery, this in their home. And she was just trying to cover herself.
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